Breakups are awkward. Breakups where you have to play your ex for first place are worse. Todd Monken, Baltimore's offensive coordinator for three seasons until this January, now coaches the Cleveland Browns, and today they host the Ravens.

Monken insists there are no extra emotions. The Ravens' locker room isn't convinced. "If I know Todd the way I think I know Todd, he will want to kick our tail," cornerback Marlon Humphrey told ESPN. Running back Derrick Henry said that behind closed doors Monken "definitely talks a lot of trash."

The history is real. Monken helped Lamar Jackson win his second MVP in 2023, and Baltimore had the NFL's No. 1 offense in 2024. He even took his first Browns interview from his old Ravens office. Jackson is out again today with an ankle injury, so Tyler Huntley starts, per ESPN.

Ravens coach Jesse Minter called the whole thing "overblown." Monken's take: "Ultimately, I have a job to do."

What's next: Kickoff is 1 p.m. ET in Cleveland. The Browns are off to their best start in five years, and the winner sits alone in first place in the AFC North.